Cannibalism Rules!

Cannibalism is rampant in Brazil. The top musicians are all cannibals; it’s a well-known fact. Jobim ate Pixinguinha, Gil has feasted on everyone from Gonzaga to Gilberto, and admitted or not, everyone today has knawed quite a bit on Olodum. Despite the ominous overtones, this term has been used liberally over the years to refer to the ever-present borrowing and sharing of ideas, the mixing and blending of styles that goes on in Brazilian music. With so many genres and tendencies swimming around, artists are continually feeding on each other.

Nordestino-pop-fusionist Lenine seized the terminology with his latest album, Falange Canibal (BMG-Brasil), an album everyone was talking about this year and which just won him the Latin Grammy for Best Contemporary Pop Album. "I cannibalize everything that is within biting range," Lenine avowed recently, “instruments, people, aesthetic tendencies, everything. I suffer from an atrocious appetite."

Back in the late ‘80s Lenine was part of a group of avant-garde artists who frequented a small bar near the Arcos da Lapa in Rio. They took control of the stage there, did an open-mic night and named it Falange Canibal, symbolizing, in Lenine’s words, “Spontaneity, experimentation, freedom from all rules, a territory of uninhibited passage through all tendencies, a no-man’s land occupied by all…” Transferring this ideology into album form could truly be identified as the philosophy behind all of Lenine’s albums. His voice and guitar restlessly traverse the côcos, the sambas de roda, the maracatús of his native Pernambuco, and without missing a beat, devour the urban styles of samba and bossa and the international influences of rock and funk.

Each of the tracks on Canibal stands on its own merits; “Umbigo” blasts through, sandwiching bold arrangement strategies between the vocals of Eumir Deodato and Ani Difranco. Velha Guarda da Mangueira are a breath of enchantment on “Caribantu,” a raw, earthy take on samba. “Silencio das Estrelas,” an autumnal meeting of sanfona and acoustic guitar captures a profound sense of solitude of the artist. Falange Canibal has been properly released in Europe and Japan, but languishes in the netherworld of import-dom in the US. Perhaps soon it will get the distribution it deserves.

São Paulo born jazz pianist Eliane Elias brings forth a new collection of originals inspired by the good life and natural beauty of the Hamptons. Kissed by Nature(RCA-Bluebird) is a far-reaching project, where Elias' piano prowess stands shoulder to shoulder with her vocals, and new trends in jazz are embraced in the form of dj remixes. The title track dazzles with a fascinating melody, diving and dodging the snappy rhythm section and those irresistible breathy vocals. The rare samba "Manhattan," anchored in handclaps and inventive use of small percussion, cooks along, then drops the listener once again into the rapture of sensual scales and emotional textures of the next few songs. A bow to Djavan, with the medly “Fato Consumado-Dobrado,” stretches the comfort zone in long, fluent improvisations. The live in-studio feeling of Kissed by Nature belies a truly interactive quality among the musicians, which include bassist/husband Marc Johnson, Randy Brecker on trumpet and drummer Paolo Braga.

Elias was a child prodigy, product of a strong matrilineal musical heritage and a cultivated love for the masters of jazz and bebop. At 15 she was teaching master classes at a prestigious music center, and at 17 she hit the international circuit with Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho. Unable to resist the knock of opportunity, she moved to New York in 1981, and the rest is history. Twelve albums and more than a few magazine covers later, she has etched herself a place in contemporary music. Her adventurous interpretations of Jobim are highly regarded, and her collaboration with Herbie Hancock, Solos and Duets, tapped as a landmark in piano duets, earned a Grammy nomination. We enjoyed her last album Everything I Love, but her new work surpasses it on all counts. As Kissed by Nature winds down, the bonus tracks kick in. The boys from Bossacucanova had a bit of fun with the title track, slapping on a few effects and some tame loops, but the intense broken beats and subtle interplay between piano and sampler on "Balancê" are over the top.

In other news, Paralamas do Sucesso are in studio working on their first album since Herbert Vianna’s accident. Vianna is said to be recovering unbelievably well from the glider crash, which left him paraplegic earlier this year.
The inspiration and strength of Grupo Afro Reggae is still going strong. The group started in 1993 as a reggae fan-zine, and evolved into a project with street children in the Vigario Geral favela, following a massacre that occurred there. Today, still under the direction of Jose “Junior” the group has performed in Europe, released the album Nova Cara in 2001, and now with folks such as Caetano Veloso as honorary members, they continue to expand the vision at a rapid pace. Recent shows at the famed Canecao theater in Rio featured a slew of famous guests, and included up-and-coming star rapper MV Bill, (who just released his new album Declaração de Guerra on Natasha Records) Here is proof that a few people can change the world, or at least a corner of it. More to come on Afro Reggae in future columns.

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